Mandageria

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Mandageria
Temporal range: Late Devonian
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Eotetrapodiformes
Family: †Tristichopteridae
Genus: †Mandageria
Johanson & Ahlberg, 1997
Species:
†M. fairfaxi
Binomial name
†Mandageria fairfaxi
Johanson & Ahlberg, 1997

Mandageria fairfaxi (Pronunciation: Man-daj-ee-ree-a fair-fax-i) is an extinct lobe-finned fish[1] that lived during the Late Devonian period (Frasnian – Famennian). It is related to the much larger Hyneria; although Mandageria was smaller, it probably hunted in the same way.

The generic epithet, Mandageria, refers to the , outcropping near Canowindra, Australia, where the fossils were found. The specific epithet, fairfaxi, honors the philanthropist James Fairfax. M. fairfaxi is the state fossil emblem for New South Wales.[2]

Description[]

Mandageria was a large predator about 1.5 to 2 m (4.9 to 6.6 ft) long. It had a long torpedo-shaped body and large tail fins. Mandageria also had large pectoral fins which could have helped it manoeuvre around submerged logs when preparing to attack its prey.[1] Mandageria had a functional neck joint, an otherwise uncommon feature among fish - Tiktaalik, Tarrasius, placoderms (esp. Arthrodira) and seahorses being other exceptions.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Age of Fishes Museum, Canowindra
  2. ^ "NSW State Flag & Emblems". NSW Government. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  3. ^ Johanson, Z., Ahlberg, P. and Ritchie, A. (March 2003). "The braincase and palate of the tetrapodomorph sarcopterygian mandageria fairfaxi: morphological variability near the fish–tetrapod transition". Palaeontology. 46 (2): 271–293. doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00298.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)

External links[]


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